Turns out urban, suburban is housing’s hottest trend. There’s a name for it: Surban.

What’s surban? Surban is a suburban area that looks and feels urban, a blend of both. Surban has particular characteristics:

Found in suburban areas, not urban.

Schools are highly rated.

Low crime.

Dominated by a variety of housing options.

Shopping and entertainment areas within walking distance of housing.

Why is surban significant?

Two interesting things to note: The Urban Land Institute estimates that surban areas will draw at least 80 percent of future households in the next decade. And they won’t all be homeowners as housing experts predict homeownership is going to decline, some predict a national rate of 60.8 percent by 2025 the lowest point since the 1950’s. Surban areas will offer households a variety of housing options including single family homes, condominiums, and apartments.

To meet the demands of future households communities would do well to consider the surban trend.

How cool is it that Orland Park is sure to capture some of the 80 percent of households drawn to surban areas?

Because if you look around Orland Park you can see they’ve been on the forefront of what is and will be one of the biggest trends in real estate. I think former Mayor Dan McLaughlin deserves much of the credit. He was talking “surban” before surban was even a word. Mayor Dan spoke for years about the need for Orland Park to develop a downtown, an area pedestrian friendly with mixed use of residential and commercial. The Mainstreet Triangle,Orland Park’s comprehensive plan in 2010, it was all in there…surban. He caught so much flak, not all of Orland Park approved of the downtown triangle. But Mayor Dan McLaughlin and Village Board were on the right track.